Monday, June 27, 2011

We're Moving!

I guess it's time to officially announce that we are moving. This last week was a complete whirlwind of uncertainty that started on Monday with a pretty clear sign that we should move. Before that, we had planned on staying in our little studio until after our trip to Greece and Italy in August. There had been little indicators of things that made it tougher and tougher to hang around, but after Monday evening it was clear that we should start looking for a new place. We put in our 30-day notice on Tuesday and I spent the entire day calling apartment complexes and arranging viewings. All in all, I made 35 phone calls and scheduled five viewings.

Jake and I spent the next few days visiting leasing offices, writing pro and con lists and crunching numbers. It was a lot like Goldilocks and The Three Bears at times... "this one is too hot"... "this one is too cold". Except for us it was "this one is too far" or "this one is too expensive". After a few viewings though, we knew immediately when one was just right.

On Thursday we visited Foxchase Apartments and by the end of the visit we were following the leasing agent back to the office and silently motioning to each other behind her back... "This is it! Let's do it!" We filled out an application and waited for a credit check before we left and then all that was remaining was a couple days of waiting nervously while they called our current landlord and verified our income. On Saturday, we signed our new lease. Moving Day is July 19th and we absolutely cannot wait.

I have to say though, we are so extremely grateful for our current place. It allowed us to be SUPER close to school and to spend very little on housing so that we could save for our trip in August and a lot of other fun stuff we got to do. It was exactly where we were supposed to be for the first year of our marriage and it will always be our first home.

We realized during our viewings, though, that we are pretty easily excited by the "standard" amenities since our current apartment doesn't have ANY of them. Our new apartment is so luxurious in comparison. It is a one bedroom apartment on the third floor and more than twice the square footage of our current place. Even though three flights of stairs are never fun (especially on Moving Day), we chose the third floor for the awesome vaulted ceilings and the extra privacy. It has a newly remodeled kitchen with beautiful cabinets, tons of counter space, and a dishwasher. The bathroom has a shower AND a bathtub. The complex has two big pools and we have a cute little patio with extra storage so we can finally get a little grill. The thing I love most about our new apartment is that it has a washer and dryer. This excites me to no end because I HATE going to the laundromat... with a passion. Our new apartment is VERY close to Jake's work as well as a lot of our favorite places such as Target, In N Out, Whole Foods, Chipotle, Chili's, Chevy's, Costco, Trader Joes, and HomeGoods... and I mean walking distance. Obviously, the new apartment is quite a bit more expensive than our current place, so finances will be challenging for a little while and the idea of moving out of Downtown is making us a little sad. As frustrating, loud and unsafe as it can be at times... a lot of our very best friends and favorite hang outs are only blocks away.

There is so much to do in the next three weeks. As much as it feels like an eternity from now, I know it will sneak up on us quickly. So many of our amazing friends and family members have volunteered to help us move, so I need to make sure that we are prepared for all the help. Between the 4th of July weekend and going to Alpha Xi Delta's National Convention on the 6th, I need to decide what will stay and what will go and pack up everything we own. I am really excited about decorating a new place, but I also know that will probably have to happen rather slowly. There is so much to plan and think about and do, but we feel confident that God is leading us and providing for us through all of this.

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We just moved into a new apartment and are gearing up for our trip to Italy & Greece in August!

Jake works full time at Hunt & Henriques. He's into Subaru, Cowboy's Football and predicting what Apple will come out with next.

Tobi recently graduated from San Jose State University and is working part time. She's excited about all the fun projects ahead in our brand new apartment.

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Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."